Loose-sheet binder.



Patented Mar. 26, l90l w. F. E. GURLEY.

LOOSE SHEET BINDER.

UNlTF STATES 'WILLIAM F. E. GURLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LOOSE-SHEET BINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,666, dated March26, 1901.

Application filed March 30, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. E. GU RLEY a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inTemporary or Loose- Sheet Binders, of which the following is aspecification.

In the use of what are known generally as temporary binders, which areemployed for the purpose of binding together loose sheets or leaves andwhich when full are also used as permanent binders, it is desirable tohave the construction of the binder one which can be readily separatedas to its component parts for the purpose of withdrawing a sheet andinserting an additional sheet or sheets or for changing the sheets orfor removing one sheet and replacing it by another or for other changesin the arrangement of the sheets, and it is also a requisite of thisclass of binders that the sheets when inserted shall be held firmly andwithout liability of becoming displaced. Another requirement is the easydetachment of the parts and their ready reassembling for use.

The object of the present invention is to construct a temporary orloose-sheet binder, also capable of use as a permanent binder, havingtherein the features hereinabove noted; and the invention consists inthe novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a plan viewlooking at the inner face of the binder, with the parts united together;Fig. 2, a plan view looking at the inner face of the back plate whichreceives the binding-plates proper; Fig. 3, aplan view looking at theinner face of the binding-plates proper, with the back plate removed andshowing the locking-catches outwardly instead of inwardly turned; Fig.i, a plan view looking at the outer face of the binding-plates properwith the back'plate removed; Fig. 5, a plan View looking at the innerface of the binding-plates proper and showing the plates separated; Fig.6, a plan view of the lockingbar adapted for use with the constructionof locking ears or catches of Fig. 3; Fig. 7, a cross-section showingoutwardly-turned locking ears and catches and the locking-bar Serial No.i em. (No model.)

therefor; Fig. 8, a cross-section showing inwardly-turned locking'earsor catches andthe locking-bar therefor; Fig. 9, a detail in perspectiveof a corner of the back plate; Fig. 10, a detail in plan showing the endof a plate with the tongue stopping short of the side wall, and Fig. 11a detail in plan showing the end of a plate with the tongue end passingthe center of the plate only. i

The binder proper is formed of two companion plates A'and B, each havinga similar formation or construction. Each plate may be made from sheetmetal of any suitable character, and each plate has a side wall and abottom composed of alternating ears and openings. The plate or section Ahas a side wall a and on its exterior at the bottom line is providedwith lips a, and has a bottom or support formed by ears A and openings Aas shown in Fig. 5, and each car has catches or lips a struck out fromthe body of the ear. The plate or section B has a side wall I) and onits outer edge at the bottom has lips o, and on the inside has a bottomformed of ears B and openings B and each ear B has catches or lips 12struck from the body of the car, as shown in Fig. 5. The ears andopenings of the two plates or sections lie opposite each other--that is,an ear on the plate A is opposite an opening on the plate B and an earon the plate B is opposite an opening on the plate A-so that when thetwo plates or sections are brought together the ears will fill theopenings and a continuous bottom will be formed, having a series ofcatches or lips on the rear side with a space" between them and the bodyof the ears forming a continuous passage from end to end of the binderas a whole. The two plates after being brought together are locked inthat position by a locking-bar 0, having one end turned to form a catchor finger c. The opposite end of this bar to facilitate insertion may berounded, and the bar is inserted on the rear face of the two plates orsections when together, passing beneath the catches or lips a and bwhere the lips are turned inwardly, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5. Thelips instead of being struck and turned with their points or free endsinwardly projected, may be struck and turned from the body of each earwith their points or ends outwardly projected and when the ears are ofthis arrangement the locking bar or strip fits over the ears and is ofthe construction shown in Fig. 6, having on each side a turned edge 0',forming a groove or re cess c to receive the ears, as shown in Fig. 7.The slipping of the locking-strip over the catches or cars gives a morefinished appearance, but with either form of construction the twocompanion plates or sections of the binder will be rigidly and firmlylocked one to the other, so as to firmly and strongly unite and hold thetwo plates or sections together.

The binder in order to present a neat appearance can be provided with aback plate or backing D, which backing is formed from sheet metal, so asto havea semicircular body with a locking or retaining groove on eachside to receive the side lips of the plates or sections. As shown, theretaining-groove is formed by turning the outer edge of the body so asto form on each side a bead or rounded portion at and then turning thefree edge at inward, so as to form a groove d between the bead and theturned edge, and to facilitate entering of the binder proper into thecover the corners d of the free edge d can be struck down,so as to forman opening or mouth for easily entering the side lips of the binder, andthis turned-down corner also forms a guard against tearing a leatherorother binding in case such binding is used around the back, as in caseof a book or similar use.

Each plate or section of the binderproper has in wardly-projectin gtongues e,two on each plate or section in the arrangement shown, andthese tongues pass through suitable slits therefor cut into the leavesor sheets to be bound together, so that when the two plates or sectionsare brought together the sheets or leaves will be held in place betweenthem by the tongues. The tongues 6 may extend from side wall to sidewall, or they may stop short of the opposite side wall, as shown in Fig.10 by the tongues e, or they may be arranged so as to have their innerends pass each other midway of the binder, as shown in Fig. 11 by thetongues 6 so long as the arrangement is one bywhich the tongues willoperate to secure the loose sheets or leaves in the binder.

It is to be understood that with the form of tongue shown in" Fig. 10such form is to be used on both plates, and that With the form of tongueshown in Fig. 11 such form is to be used on both plates, the figuresonly showing one tongue as an illustration.

The tube or head (1 on each side of the back plate may be provided withopenings ffor the passage of tie-cords, by means of which a suitablecover can be united to the binder if so desired.

The operation will be understood from the foregoing description, but,briefly, is as follows: The back plate is slipped from the binder properand the retaining or locking strip O is slipped from engagement with itscatches or ears, leaving the two plates or sections of Le binder properfree to be separated by pulling them apart, such separation drawing outthe tongues from the sheets on one side or both sides, if so desired.When separated, a new sheet or sheets can be inserted by slipping ontothe tongues of one plate or section andthen entering the tongues of theother plate or section into their slits and bringing the two plates orsections together and again locking them by the strip and applying theback plate and restoring the binder to its normal condition. Thisseparating of the parts is easily performed, and when separated theleaves or sheets can be changed as desired, or some of the sheetsremoved or new sheets be added without any inconvenience or trouble, andwhen the leaves or sheets are arranged as desired the parts can bebrought together and secured, as hereinbefore described, formingapermanent retainer for the sheets.

The device is exceedingly simple in construction, and the several partsof which it is composed can be easily and quickly separated and broughttogether, enabling the changing of the leaves orsheets to be performedwithout any great inconvenience.

I claim- 1. In a temporary hinder, the combination of two separablecompanion plates or sections, each having alternating bottom ears andopenings offsetting each other in the two plates the width of eachplate, and means for locking and rigidly uniting the two plates orsections when in juxtaposition, scribed.

2. In a temporary hinder, the combination of two separable companionplates, each having a side wall with inwardly projected tongues and eachhaving alternating bottom ears and openings offsetting each other in thetwo plates the width of each plate, and means for locking and rigidlyuniting the two plates when in juxtaposition, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a temporary binder, the combination of two separable companionplates, each having a side wall with inwardly projected tongues and eachhaving alternating bottom ears and openings offsetting each other in thetwo plates, each bottom ear having catches or lips rearwardlyprojecting, and a locking strip or bar engaging with the catches or lipsand locking and uniting the two plates when in juxtaposition,substantially as described.

4. In a temporary hinder, the combination of two separable companionplates, each having a side wall with inwardly projecting tongues andeach having at the bottom outwardly-extending lips and each plate havingalternating bottom ears and openings offsetting each other in the twoplates, each bottom ear having catches or lips rearwardly projecting, alocking strip or bar engaging with the catches or ears and locking anduniting the two plates when in juxtaposition and a back plate having oneach side grooves to receive the outwardly-extended lips of thesubstantially as de-- two plates when in juxtaposition, and a back platehaving its edge on each side rolled into a tubular form and turnedinward to form a groove for receiving the outwardly-extended lips of thebinder plates or sections and having the corner of the inwardly-turnededge struck down for entering the binder proper 20 in the back plate,substantially as described.

WILLIAM F. E. GURLEY.

Witnesses:

EPHRAIM BANNI'NG, ANNIE O. UOURTENAY.

